Point of View

The Godfather Returns primarily alternates between omniscient third person narrator and first person point of view through the eyes of Nick. The invention of Nick Geraci was a brilliant move on the author's part. Nick's character becomes the observer of the crime family. Not an impartial observer, as Nick is part of that world, but a newer perspective than any we've seen in previous Godfather stories. The fact that he is new, Nick is free to express his opinions and thoughts on the page without contradicting what we already know about any of the previous characters.

By employing the third person omniscient narrator as well, Mark Winegardner is able to create additional tension because we are aware of events of which the characters in the scene are not. The author jumps briefly into the other characters' minds from the first person, and it is interesting to...